Relief
by cherrygurl1225
Summary: Though he is already dead, a jealous Jensen shoots Tru when he sees her with Jack in an incident that almost costs Tru her life. Now, in order to keep Tru safe, Jack must confront The Powers That Be to ensure Jensen is put where he belongs for good.
1. Chapter One: Promise

**Tru Calling: Relief**

**Chapter One: Promise**

"You know, I almost thought you weren't going to show up," Jack Harper said, casually leaning against a brick wall and looking at the brunette that now stood before him. She was his opposite, the antithesis of everything he stood for. She was strong, fierce, intelligent, beautiful…

They had agreed to meet in this alleyway late at night once a blanket of thick darkness had covered the city. It was in this alleyway where their actions could be obscured by both the darkness and random passerby. Dim light from the street lamps on the main street could barely illuminate the alleyway.

"People today are full of surprises, Jack," Tru Davies spat, her voice dripping with saccharin sweetness.

"Well, then color me touched," Jack teased.

"Don't flatter yourself," Tru sneered, holding her ground, if only for a little while longer. "Can we just get this over with?"

Jack chuckled. "I do love this feisty side of you, Tru. Though you seemed more eager to kiss me behind that tree at Jensen's funeral."

"That was a mistake. A stupid mistake. And as I recall, you were the one who kissed me. I should never have been so--…"

"Angry?" he cut in.

"Confused, angry… I don't know… I just…" her voice deflated. "I needed to see you again, okay?"

"Why?" he challenged her.

"Because… because what you told me a few nights before I killed Jensen actually made sense. About the balance. So when you showed up at Jensen's funeral, I was still so angry with you for telling me how I had created this monster, but then you told me you wanted to talk to me in private, so we went behind a tree and I was about to yell at you again when--…"

"When I did this," he replied, moving forward and capturing her lips in his. He breathed in her sweet intoxicating scent as waves of invisible electricity rippled through both of them. In this moment, they were able to get lost in one another.

Tru's arms encircled Jack's neck as her fingers combed roughly through the maze of his short hair. Jack's arms were around Tru's waist as one hand stayed on the small of her back and his other hand moved up her neck, finding sanctuary in her dark brown curls. It wasn't long before he was peeling off her denim jacket and it seemed as though nothing could disrupt their moment of blissful ecstasy…

Suddenly, there was a noise and the two of them sprang apart, both breathing heavily.

"Did you hear that?" Jack whispered, as he turned to face the direction that the noise had just come from. It sounded as though it had come from the opposite end of the alleyway where the beginning of the alleyway met with a part of the sidewalk and city street.

"Yeah," Tru replied. "What was it?"

"I'm not sure," Jack told her. "Stay here."

"Jack…" she whispered; she was suddenly gripping his upper arm tightly, barely conscious of what she was doing.

He gently pulled out of her firm grip. "Just stay here."

He took a few steps forward and called out into the vast darkness. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Just then, the smallest glimpse of a shadow caught Jack's eye. Seconds later, the cacophony of a gunshot rang through the air, piercing the darkness with its reverberation.

And then a scream.

"Jack!"

Whipping around without any time to identify the source of the noise, he saw Tru lying on the ground, a pool of dark crimson staining the lavender blouse she wore underneath the denim jacket.

"Tru…"

He was by her side in an instant as he gently lifted her upper body into his lap.

"Oh, my God, Tru…" he said breathlessly, placing his right hand on the gunshot wound and trying to apply gentle pressure to stop the flow of blood.

Shiny tears now streamed down Tru's cheeks. "It hurts," she whispered, now clutching his arm even tighter and moaning in pain. "Please, Jack…"

"I'm gonna get help, OK?" he told her as his other hand managed to grab the cell phone in his pocket and shakily dialed the numbers. The words that came out of his mouth tumbled out in a breathless garble, not even sounding like his own voice. An ambulance was on its way.

"I'm getting you some help, OK?" he repeated to her softly, brushing strands of hair away from her eyes and wiping the tears from her wet cheeks. "I'm getting you some help. I'm right here."

Her voice came out in soft pants as she spoke. "If I… if I ask… I promise… I promise I'll ask you. I promise, Jack. I'm going to ask."

"No, Tru. You have to stay with me, OK? You have to stay awake. Stay with me…"

"I'm so sleepy. It hurts too much. I'll ask… I promise… Jack…"

Her vision swam out of focus as her eyelids became heavy, slowly fluttering closed. As she tumbled into oblivion, Jack's fingers were on her neck, checking for a pulse.

It was weak, but…

_She's still alive._

"I won't lose you, Tru," he told her, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead as he felt his voice quiver. "And if I do…"

He gulped nervously, but could not force more oxygen into his lungs. He could hardly breathe anymore… not when she was like this… not until he knew she'd be alright. He forced himself to try and focus on breathing again; his voice cracked the interminable silence that now threatened to swallow him.

"And if I do… just promise me. Promise me you'll ask."

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **Just an idea I had for a short multi-chapter Tru/Jack series. I was originally gonna have all of this be a long one-shot, but I thought it might work better as a multi-chapter fic with shorter chapters.

_Dedicated to Sonya for her insatiable love and passion for Tru Calling and most especially Tru and Jack. And also for her wise insights into our favorite television series. _

_And for Jenni, the most awesome best friend this cherry girl could ever ask for and for her constant, never-ending support in everything I write. I love you so much!!  
_

Please review!!


	2. Chapter Two: Deal

**Chapter Two: Deal**

"_What are you doing here?" Tru hissed angrily as she approached the tree that Jack was leaning against. _

_He was waiting for her. Watching her. He had showed up at Jensen's funeral with no invitation. No warning._

_He took a few steps backwards and around the tree as she followed him with her flaming eyes. Now safely obscured from the views of others, namely Davis and Harrison, Jack answered her._

"_I just came to give my condolences," he told her matter-of-factly. "I know it's not easy for you right now… losing someone you love. I know you're angry. But you know you did the right thing. It's okay to be upset. It's okay to show those emotions, Tru. It's okay to let those emotions out. Let them be free."_

_She tore her gaze away from him, looking down at the ground. She hadn't shed a single tear since the funeral had started. She just stood next to Davis, Harrison and Avery. Just stood there._

_Numb. _

"_Thanks," she bit off, then met his piercing gaze once more. "If you're done, you should leave. Now."_

_Jack chuckled softly. "Oh, I'm not done just yet."_

_And with that, he slowly reached out and brushed his fingertips against her soft cheek, stroking it gently with the pad of his thumb and moving towards her, closing the already narrow gap between them._

"_What are you--…"_

_But she was cut off mid-sentence as Jack's powerful lips crushed against her soft ones. They pressed against hers and stayed there for a few seconds, catching Tru completely off guard. Yet, somehow she began to…_

"_I can't!" she cried, suddenly breaking the kiss. "No, it's not right. I can't."_

"_Why not?" Jack questioned._

"_I just… I can't… we can't… we…"_

"_We can get through this together," Jack finished for her, putting a finger underneath her chin and lifting it to meet his gaze. She then saw a sparkle of sincerity and honesty in his eyes she hadn't seen before. "We made a deal, Tru. Before Jensen's death, we made a deal. You came to me asking me how to end his life. I told you how. But there was a little something I asked for in return. Don't make me regret holding up my end of the bargain."_

"_OK, so let's say we had a deal," Tru whispered defiantly, crossing her arms. "Give me one reason why I should agree with your end of it. Give me one reason that would make me want to kiss you."_

"_Because I know you feel it, too," he told her, chuckling again. "I'm not sure if you'd ever say it to my face, but deep down I know you feel that there is something between us. Something you can't quite explain or put your finger on. So instead, you want to run away. You want to stay away from me – avoid me at all costs – because you don't want to admit those feelings to me… or even to yourself. Besides, as much as you try and convince yourself that Davis and Harrison understand what you're going through, the cold, harsh reality is that they don't. They only think they do. But I understand, Tru. I know more than you think I know. Our deal isn't just about Jensen's death and secret kisses… it's something far more powerful than you or I could ever begin to fathom. That's why I want to help you. I feel your pain as though it's a part of me. Don't try to deny our connection. I feel your pain, Tru."_

_Tru shook her head silently and began walking away from him, though a firm grip on her upper arm stopped her in her tracks._

"_Please. Let me help you."_

_Not turning around to face him, Tru sighed. It wasn't like she had much of a choice in the matter. She knew he was right. She knew she needed him. Especially now. _

"_Fine," she caved in. "Meet me on Friday at midnight in the alleyway between the Standard Diner and the watch repair shop. We still have a deal."_

_Satisfied, Jack released his grip on Tru's arm and watched her walk away._

_

* * *

_Jack now sat by Tru's bedside at the city hospital, looking at her and squeezing her hand gently as he whispered to her.

"I don't know, Tru. Maybe this deal wasn't such a good idea after all. If I hadn't gotten you to agree to this deal, then maybe…"

His voice trailed off as he noticed her eyes start to flutter open. She moaned softly, her eyes slowly adjusting to the bright lights and new surroundings.

"Jack…"

He squeezed her hand in response. "I'm here."

She turned her head in the direction of his voice, gazing directly into his warm cerulean blue eyes.

"Where am I? What happened?"

"You're at the hospital," he told her. "We were in the alleyway and you were shot."

"I was…" her voice trailed off as the memories of what had happened came flooding back to her, causing a violent shiver to course its way through her body. "How long have I been here?"

Jack drew in a deep breath. "Since yesterday. They had to keep you sedated once they got the bullet out. They had to make sure you were stable."

"So I didn't die."

"No, you didn't. I don't know what I would have done if you--…" he stopped, his voice cracking as he tried to choke back tears or whatever sudden outburst of emotion that had chosen to present itself at this particular moment.

"I would have asked. You know that."

"No, Tru. I didn't know that. I _still _don't know that. But let's not talk about that, OK? You're here now and that's all that really matters."

Jack leaned over and kissed Tru's forehead gently.

"That's all that really matters," he repeated.

There was a brief pause until Tru's voice broke the momentary silence that had fallen upon them.

"You know, you were saying yesterday how you liked seeing a feisty side of me. Now it's my turn to say I'm not used to seeing this tender side of you."

"Oh, so which side of me would you rather see then?" Jack teased.

"The side where I don't have to cut through your thick male ego to get a simple answer," Tru stated simply.

"Ouch," Jack teased again, feigning mock hurt. Then his facial expression changed and his tone became serious and firm again.

"Tru," he said, squeezing her hand once more. "The police came by a few hours ago and asked me to ask you if you wanted to file a police report. We can find out who did this. We can find out who--…"

"No," Tru said, cutting him off abruptly. "I'm not filing a police report, Jack. The police can't fix this. Only those who are higher than us can help. Those who gave us our abilities to begin with."

"Tru…" Jack began again. "You're not making any sense."

"I already know who did this to me," she said, her voice in a low whisper, a deadly venom dripping at its intoned edges.

"Who?"

"Jensen."

"Jensen? But he's already--…"

Jack was cut off again, but this time by a loud scream and the furious bleeping of the heart monitor that was monitoring Tru's heart rate.

"Jack!" Tru screamed in pain. No sooner had she let out the yelp of pain, her breathing became irregular again and oblivion was beginning to swallow her.

Jack's heart nearly skipped a beat. "No, not again. Tru!"

But just as he was about to press the button to call for the nurse, a voice stopped him, chilling his core.

"_I wouldn't do that just yet if I were you," _Jensen Ritchie hissed, his dark voice seeming to reverberate off the walls of the hospital room. He walked over to Tru's bedside casually, glancing briefly at Tru's beeping heart monitor and then letting his gaze flicker to Tru before finally meeting Jack's eyes.

"Jensen, but you're supposed to be--…"

"_Dead?"_ Jensen finished for him, chuckling softly. _"Well, technically, I am. But the soul works in mysterious ways, Jack. And since Tru gave me a second chance at life when she apparently wasn't supposed to, my soul still exists in the universe, just not in my physical body. So that night when Tru killed me, she was only killing my physical body, not my essence. The soul is the most important part of the physical, emotional and spiritual human body. Without the soul…" _he let his voice trail off, his fiery blue eyes matching the intensity of Jack's with a perfect, synchronous ferocity.

"So why are you here?" Jack asked, trying to keep an even tone to his voice.

"_Funny you should ask. I'm here to take Tru's soul."_

Jack eyed the other man suspiciously. "What?"

"_I'm here to take Tru's soul," _he repeated. _"But I'll make a deal with you. If I take Tru's soul, then she'll survive through all of this. She might be unconscious for a little while longer, but she'll live. She might not be the same Tru as you once knew, but at least she'll be alive."_

"And if I don't agree to this deal?"

"_If you don't agree, I'll make sure she dies instantly and cannot be revived. This also means she will never ask for your help and your day would never restart because it would not be meant to restart."_

Jensen watched Jack carefully as he considered the options that had been presented to him.

"_So what will it be, Jack? We don't have much time as it is."_

Jack inhaled slowly, narrowing his gaze with the other man's piercing, soulless eyes.

"It's a deal."

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **Oh, don't you just love cliffhangers? Hehe! A big, huge thanks to all who have reviewed so far. I really, really appreciate your feedback! I still don't exactly know where this story is going yet, but I'm slowly working things out in my head and it is coming together as I write. That being said, the reason Jack makes the deal with Jensen is because it actually does buy him some time while Tru is still unconscious to figure out how to get Tru's soul back and how to get rid of Jensen once and for all. The next chapter will be about how the Powers That Be fit into the Tru/Jack scenario. I just _had _to get this chapter written tonight because I was so inspired by the feedback I've received thus far and I think this story will only get better from here on out. There will definitely be more even after Jack has saved Tru's soul because he has to help Tru through her painful memories of the shooting and her previous painful memories of being with soulless Jensen before she killed him. So Tru having her soul is definitely essential to how the storyline will develop from here on forward.

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me some tasty feedback!


	3. Chapter Three: Limbo

**Chapter Three: Limbo**

"_Tru…"_

_Jack stepped cautiously toward the bed where Tru sat, dressed in a white robe, still and unmoving. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder._

"_Tru," he said again. _

_His gesture seemed to startle her from her reverie as she glanced up at him, her dark curls framing the fiery innocence of her oval shaped face. Her skin was flushed and her chocolate brown eyes were pink and puffy from crying, dark circles starting to form underneath them. _

"_You came," she said softly, a faint flicker of a smile on her lips. _

"_I heard your voice. In the hospital after the nurses took you into the emergency room. After Jensen…"_

"_After Jensen took my soul," she finished for him. "He took the part of me you're seeing right now."_

"_I'm here to bring you back, Tru. I was sitting in the waiting room when I heard your voice whisper my name. I'm not sure if I fell asleep or…" his voice trailed off as he sighed heavily. "And then I saw this beautiful white light and I knew it was a sign. I knew I had to follow it."_

"_And here you are," Tru said, smiling. _

"_Where are we, Tru?" Jack asked, taking in the ethereal surroundings for the first time. "What is this place?"_

_To anyone else, it may have seemed like a kind of paradise. The room was fairly big and Tru sat on a queen-sized bed, which had thick, white sheets and a pillow to match. There was a dresser drawer beside her with three drawers and a lamp on the top of the dresser drawer. Also sitting on the top of the dresser drawer was a glass of water, a wooden bowl with a white washcloth underneath it and a small plate of food. The room could have easily passed for a four star hotel room with its lavishly decorated walls and random pieces of furniture in the far corner of the other end. This easily could have been some kind of paradise. But Jensen was keeping Tru here, so Jack knew better. _

"_It's the limbo," Tru replied. "A place for souls who don't have anywhere else to go. They can't go to heaven or hell, so they come here."_

"_You don't belong in limbo," Jack told her. "You belong in the realm of reality."_

_Tru just stared at him, saying nothing. _

_He crouched down on the side of the bed as Tru moved closer to him, draping her legs over the edge. _

"_It's not up to you to decide where I belong."_

"_Maybe not," Jack said, reaching out to caress her soft curls. "But I--…"_

_He paused suddenly, his breath caught in his throat. _

"_Oh, my God," he murmured as he brushed some of her hair away from her cheeks, noticing the purple bruises along the side of her face and a red handprint on the crease of her neck. _

"_Jensen got angry when he caught me trying to contract you, so he--…"_

"_I'm going o kill that son of a bitch!" Jack exclaimed in a sudden outburst of anger as he stood up defiantly. _

"_Jack," Tru whispered, reaching out and taking one of his hands in both of hers. "There's nothing you can do right now. He's already dead! Besides, this is the limbo and things work differently here."_

"_Are you telling me that he can't die twice?"_

"_No, but he is already dead. His soul is lost, displaced. But me… my soul… I'm not dead yet. If he hurts me enough… kills me here… my soul won't be able to return to my physical body. That's why I called you here, Jack. You're the only one who can talk to The Powers That Be. The Council. You're the only one who understands. I don't want Harrison and Davis finding out about this if it means finding out about us. And I know it might sound crazy since we're on opposite sides and all, but I feel like… I feel like the only person I can trust is you."_

_Jack crouched down again and traced his thumb carefully across Tru's cheek. "That doesn't sound crazy at all. I'm glad you feel like you can trust me. I'm going to figure out a way to get you out of here, OK?"_

_Tru nodded mutely. _

"_But Tru, I want you to tell me something. And I need you to be honest with me."_

"_About what?"_

"_Jensen. I need to know if there are any other places that he--…"_

"_My back," Tru cut in, getting choked up as tears ran down her cheeks. "He had a knife and would throw me against the wall and on the floor. He cut me and he hit me… there was blood dripping down my back. My whole body aches. My entire body has been screaming in pain, Jack. Please… help me."_

_He wiped her tears away and his lips brushed gently against her forehead._

"_Has he given you any painkillers?"_

_Tru shook her head. "No."_

_Jack glanced over at the dresser drawer beside Tru's bed. He leaned over and began rummaging through each of the three drawers until he found a bottle of painkillers buried beneath some clothes. He placed the bottle of painkillers on top of the dresser drawer next to the glass of water. His eyes then wandered to the wooden bowl filled only halfway with water, the white washcloth folded neatly underneath. Tru watched in silence as Jack pulled the washcloth out from underneath the bowl and soaked the cloth in the lukewarm water. _

"_What are you doing?" Tru asked._

"_Giving you a sponge bath," Jack teased lightly as he proceeded to wipe her face, arms, neck and back with the soft cloth._

_When he was done, he folded the washcloth and placed it next to the wooden bowl._

"_Feeling better?"_

"_A little," Tru told him, gazing into the hidden depths of his cerulean blue eyes. "Thank you." _

"_You're welcome," he replied, pressing a gentle kiss against her lips and found himself satisfied when she responded in kind, urging him to deepen the kiss. If only for a moment…_

_When he pulled away, Tru yawned as she felt her eyelids start to become heavy. _

"_I haven't been able to sleep ever since he brought me here. I'm so afraid of what he might do next. I'm so tired."_

_Jack opened the bottle of painkillers and placed a small white capsule in Tru's hand._

"_Take this," he told her gently, giving her the glass of water. "It will ease some of the pain and help you sleep."_

_After Tru swallowed the capsule, she went back into bed and let Jack tuck her beneath the covers. _

"_Stay with me," Tru whispered softly, her fingers laced in the fabric of his shirt as she pulled him closer. _

"_I have to go talk with The Powers That Be and find Jensen. I'll be back. I won't leave you here, Tru. I promise. Right now, you need to get some sleep."_

_She whimpered softly, mumbling something indiscernible. Carefully, he climbed into bed beside her and let her snuggle into him as she instinctively laid her head on his chest. _

"_Shhh," he whispered repeatedly, stroking her hair. Her breathing gradually evened out and he waited a few minutes before he was sure she was sleeping deeply. After pressing a tender kiss into her hair, he got up from the bed being extra careful not to disturb her slumber. _

_He then stood watching her for a few moments as she slept on._

"_I know we're on opposite sides, Tru," he whispered. "I also know that I probably shouldn't be feeling this way, but there isn't anyone or anything that could keep me from loving you."_

_He sighed deeply. _

"_Jack Harper?"_

_He turned around, a man dressed in a white robe stood before him. "Who wants to know?"_

_The man stepped forward. "I'm a member of The Council, a branch of The Powers That Be. I've come to talk to you and your girlfriend Tru D--…"_

"_She's not my girlfriend," he objected, his tone a little harsher than it should have been._

_The other man chuckled. "Right. Of course she isn't. But she's your opposite, isn't she?"_

"_That's correct," Jack replied. "Look, I really don't have time to play games. I'm just here to--…"_

"_I know what you're here for. You're here to give her what she needs."_

"_I know exactly what Tru needs," Jack told him, glancing briefly at her sleeping form once again. She finally looked peaceful._

"_And what's that?" the other man questioned curiously._

"_Relief."_

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note: **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took a bit to update. I fell behind on some schoolwork due to personal issues, but I'm all caught up now and it feels good to write fic again! I really wanted to emphasize the spirituality in this chapter in terms of what this limbo represents to Tru. The room that she is kept in is an almost subtle nod to Eliza's show _Dollhouse_ because it emphasizes how surroundings can look Zen-like and perfect, but really hold darker purposes. Tru is the central displacement in the room she is kept in because of the abuse done to her by Jensen. Everything around her is lavishly decorated, comfortable, white and pure. Her white robe even signifies this, but it is the bruises and cuts on her body that tell otherwise. We also know she is emotionally unstable because of what has been done to her. Jack is there to try and help her, to ease her pain, but I also want to make it clear that they understand they are still opposites and the love they share is sacred and special but also innately forbidden.

More to come. Stay tuned and hopefully the next chapter will be posted sooner rather than later, but I can't make any promises. I spent all day in a café writing this chapter.

Please, please review! I worked really hard on this chapter and would greatly appreciate any and all feedback! Thanks in advance and thanks to those who've been reading and reviewing so far!


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